Gary Neville confronted by Hislop over Qatar World Cup

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Football pundit Gary Neville has been criticised for a televised rant where he compared striking UK workers with migrant labourers in Qatar. He made his controversial comments during ITV’s coverage of the World Cup final, saying British ministers were ‘demonising’ public sector staff.

The multi-millionaire said the conditions for striking nurses and railway workers were like those faced by Qatar’s foreign labour workforce.

The Gulf state has been heavily criticised because of its allegedly exploitative employment practices and for the number of deaths on World Cup stadium construction projects.

ITV said it did not endorse Mr Neville’s views and former levelling-up secretary Simon Clarke said the comparison was “grotesque”.

Mr Neville, who played for England and Manchester United, made the remarks in response to fellow pundit Roy Keane saying the World Cup had been stained by corruption.

He said: “We can never accept that in this region or any other region – and it is just worth mentioning we’ve got a Government in our country that is demonising rail workers, ambulance workers and terrifyingly nurses.

“We can’t have people being paid an absolute pittance to work, we can’t have people in accommodation that is unsavoury and disgusting.

“It shouldn’t happen here [in Qatar] … with the wealth that exists. But it shouldn’t happen with the nurses in our country either where our nurses are having to fight for an extra pound or two pounds.”

But almost as soon as the words had left his mouth, there was an angry reaction on social media.

Conservative MP Mr Clarke tweeted: “It is beyond ridiculous that he is given free rein by ITV Sport to overtly politicise a major sporting event.

“Quite apart from the fact every nurse is receiving a pay rise of £1,400, to compare workers’ rights in Qatar with the UK is grotesque.”

Former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said ITV should not have cut of his rant.

He added: “People have been killed on building sites and things all over Qatar and paid a pittance, and he compares that to the UK? It’s unbelievable.

“To compare a country that demonises gay rights, executes and brings in migrant workers by the truckload and pays them a pittance to a democratic country that has the concept of human rights, rule of law and all that goes with it – he’s abused his position.”

And Lee Anderson, Conservative MP for Ashfield, said: “It’s a classic case of another champagne socialist who’s got more money than sense. ITV should sack him.”

Campaigners have said that as many as 6,500 migrant labourers working on projects linked to the Qatar World Cup have died.

Despite Mr Neville condemning Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers, he agreed to work for BeIN Sports – a network run by the Qatari state.

It is estimated that his deal with BeIN could have netted him a six-figure pay cheque.

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He was left looking very uncomfortable when this deal was scrutinised by Private Eye editor Ian Hislop and comedian Paul Merton on the BBC TV show Have I Got News for You last month.

Hosting the show, Mr Neville was backed into a corner to defend his “reputation” as the topic of him accepting money from a Qatari broadcaster was brought up.

Paul Merton asked him: “You know David Beckham, don’t you? He’s going, isn’t he? How much is he being paid?”

Mr Neville may have thought he had got off lightly when he replied: “I don’t know. More than me.”

But Mr Hislop went for him with both barrels, trying to find out exactly why he had accepted Qatari money.

Mr Hislop asked: “The elephant in the room is you’re commentating there. What’s the defence?”

To which Mr Neville tried to justify himself by saying: “My view always has been that you either highlight the issues and challenges in these countries and speak about them, or you basically don’t say anything and stay back home and don’t go.

“And I think we should challenge them.”

But this did not go down at all well with Mr Hislop, who responded: “The other option is you stay at home and highlight the abuses.

“You don’t have to take the Qataris’ money. It’s just not a very good defence.”

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